NFL: Three questions surrounding each team heading into 2017

Not like I’m counting or anything, but there are only 91 days until the NFL season kicks off (I’m totally counting down). Before the season begins, there are some questions surrounding each NFL team, and I’m here to break it all down for you. At the end of the season, I will revisit these questions and reveal how I think teams worked them out.

AFC

New England Patriots

Can the defending Super Bowl Champions win it back-to-back? Their new
additions have a lot of analysts thinking yes

Will Gronk return to his usual self after missing most of the 2016 season?

Will Tom Brady actually show signs of an aging quarterback or will he
continue to defy father time?

New York Jets

Are the Jets in full rebuild mode after releasing veterans such as Brandon
Marshall and Darrelle Revis?

How much longer can the Jets go without a franchise quarterback?

Can Matt Forte and Bilal Powell carry the Jets’ offense?

Buffalo Bills

Will Sammy Watkins recover from his disappointing 2016 campaign?

With all new staff on the defensive side of the ball and the loss of Stephon
Gilmore, how will Buffalo’s defense perform?

Can the Bills end their playoff drought this year?

Miami Dolphins

Will the Dolphins have a good enough year to earn 2nd in the AFC East
again?

Will Jay Ajayi continue blowing through defenses or will he finally be
stopped?

Can Ryan Tannehill return from a devastating knee injury that kept him
out of the playoffs?

Pittsburgh Steelers

Will the Steelers’ offense be even more dangerous with Martavis Bryant
back from a year long suspension?

How will first-round pick and former Badger T.J. Watt perform in his rookie
season?

Is this Big Ben’s last season? Some of his comments point to yes.

Baltimore Ravens

Will Joe Flacco be elite?

Have the Ravens found a long term running back in Terrance West?

How will the team bounce back after narrowly missing the playoffs in 2016?

Cleveland Browns

Can the Browns win more than one game this year? (Spoiler alert: Yes,
they will)

Will 1st overall pick Myles Garrett live up to expectations?

The Browns’ quarterback carousel continues, who will land the starting job? Cody Kessler, Brock Osweiler, or DeShone Kizer?

Cincinnati Bengals

How will controversial running back Joe Mixon perform during his rookie
year?

After missing the mark by only 36 yards last season, will A.J. Green have his
sixth 1,000-yard season?

Will the Bengals defense be able to keep their emotions in control?

Houston Texans

Will J.J. Watt continue being J.J. Watt, or has Jadeveon Clowney taken over
the Texans defense?

Will Deshaun Watson reenact his days at Clemson?

Will DeAndre Hopkins bounce back from his down year?

Tennessee Titans

Can DeMarco Murray continue his success with the Tennessee Titans?

Will Marcus Mariota lead the Titans to an AFC South title?

Is Logan Ryan capable of replacing Jason McCourty?

Indianapolis Colts

Are Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton capable of being the NFL’s best wide
receiver-quarterback duo?

Who will hang up the cleats first: Adam Vinatieri or Frank Gore?

Is the Colts’ defense capable of stopping the run?

Jacksonville Jaguars

Will Jalen Ramsey and Myles Jack help stiffen up the Jaguars’ defense?

Will Leonard Fournette live up to expectations?

Can Blake Bortles make use of his bountiful offensive weapons?

Denver Broncos

Who will be the Broncos’ game manager? Paxton Lynch or Trevor Siemian?

How much will Jamaal Charles contribute to the Broncos offense with the
return of C.J. Anderson?

Will the Broncos regain their place as AFC West Champions?

Kansas City Chiefs

Is Alex Smith’s starting job in jeopardy after the Chiefs spent a first-round
pick on quarterback Patrick Mahomes II?

Who will have more interceptions: Eric Berry or Marcus Peters?

Can Spencer Ware live up to the expectations left by Jamaal Charles?

Oakland Raiders

How will Beast Mode perform in his return to the NFL? Something tells me, he isn’t there just so he won’t get fined.

Will reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Khalil Mack, continue being the
anchor in the otherwise young Raiders defense?

Do the Raiders actually have a chance at taking the AFC from the Patriots?

Los Angeles Chargers

Will the Chargers receive a warm welcome in Los Angeles?

Will Antonio Gates cement his Hall of Fame career by receiving the most
touchdowns by a tight end of all time? (This is likely since he only needs one more)

Will Melvin Gordon pick up where he left off last season?

NFC

Green Bay Packers

Can the Packers’ cornerbacks play well enough to where they won’t need to
depend on the offense scoring all the time?

How will former Badger Vince Biegel fare during his first year with the
hometown team?

What will there be more of: Aaron Rodgers’ catchphrases such as “run the
table” or Aaron Rodgers’ Hail Mary passes?

Detroit Lions

Is a steady running game the only thing standing between the Lions and an NFC North title?

Will Matthew Stafford lead the NFL in comeback victories again, or will he
be consistent enough where he doesn’t get his team into that situation?

Can Ziggy Ansah take charge of the Lions defense?

Chicago Bears

How will Chicago’s offense perform without Alshon Jeffery (and of course
Jay Cutler)?

Will Jordan Howard repeat his incredible and unexpected rookie season?

Will the Bears regret giving up so many draft picks or will Mitch Trubisky be worth it?

Minnesota Vikings

With Sam Bradford playing in a contract year and uncertainty surrounding Teddy Bridgewater, what will become of the Vikings’ quarterback situation?

Will the Vikings earn themselves the honor of having the #1 defense in the
NFL?

How will the Vikings’ backfield perform without Adrian Peterson in the mix?

New Orleans Saints

How will Adrian Peterson perform in the Bayou?

Will the Saints’ defense be good enough that Drew Brees won’t have to
throw for 500 yards and 6 touchdowns just to have a chance at winning?

How much will the Saints’ offense suffer without deep threat Brandin Cooks?

Carolina Panthers

Which Cam Newton will show up this year: Superman or the Cam we saw
last year?

Will rookie Christian McCaffery live up to expectations?

Is the return of Julius Peppers just what the Panthers need to return to
glory?

Atlanta Falcons

Can the Falcons bounce back from their devastating Super Bowl loss or
will they “Embrace the S.U.C.K.”?

Will Matt Ryan, the reigning MVP, play lights out again this year?

Is Julio Jones the best receiver in football?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Could the duo of DeSean Jackson and Mike Evans reach unthinkable
heights with Jameis Winston at the helm?

Will the Buccaneers make the playoffs for the first time since 2007?

Can the Buccaneers live up to the hype surrounding them this offseason?

Seattle Seahawks

Will the Seahawks stand together against recent reports about rifts in their locker room?

How much better will the Seahawks be able to run the ball this season after bulking up their offensive line?

Who will have more rushing yards this season: Thomas Rawls or Eddie Lacy?

Arizona Cardinals

Could David Johnson be the first running back to win MVP since Adrian
Peterson in 2012? (I think so)

Can the Cardinals compete with the Seahawks for the NFC West?

Could this be the last year of Larry Fitzgerald AND Carson Palmer?

Los Angeles Rams

Will Jared Goff make the Rams thankful that they took him 1st overall in the 2016 NFL Draft?

Can Todd Gurley recover from his inevitable sophomore slump?

Can Aaron Donald prove himself as the best defensive player in the league?

San Francisco 49ers

Will the 49ers target a quarterback in the next NFL draft after withstanding a season with either Brian Hoyer or Matt Barkley?